Newsletter/Newspaper Design

The Basics and Four Rules

The flag Title of the newsletter that sets the tone for

the entire piece.

Headlines

Headlines Keep them conversational.

“Congress’ gift tax cuts worth big bucks” Write in present tense, active voice.

President vetoed tax bill President vetoes tax bill Tax bill vetoed by President

Avoid bad splits. Sox catch up with Yankees Sox catch Yankees in playoffs

Body text Alignment

Choose an alignment and stick to it. Subheads

Not Helvetica?!?!??! Other sans serifs

Myriad Pro Paragraph indents

To indent or not indent? Consistency’s sake!

Body textOldstyle serif faceGaramond, Minion or Palatino

CenturyLightweight slab serifBookman Old Style, Century Schoolbook

Photos and cutlines Every photo should have a clean, clear center

of interest. Every photo should look natural.

Photos and cutlines Every photo should be bordered. Every photo should be relevant. Every face should be at least the size of a

dime.

Photos and cutlines Always make one photo dominant, that is

substantially bigger than any competing photo.

Liftout quotes They should be quotations and attributed. They should be bigger and bolder than text

type.

Liftout quotes Don’t sprinkle liftouts randomly through the

text just to kill space;that gets distracting.

Newsletter Rules (adapted from http://www.dynamicgraphics.com/dgm/Article/28764/index.html)

Create scanability. Provide road signs. Keep it simple. Stimulate the relationship.

Create scanability

Provide road signs

Keep it simple

Stimulate the relationship